Technology and innovation in the age of Queen Victoriaby: Darrien Kramer

The magnitude of the progress during the Victorian time frame was self-perpetuating and continues even unto this age. Technology and innovation increased exponentially throughout the Victorian era and created a better living standard for humanity.

. Englishman Michael Faraday and plank. Great men such as these brought about great progress in the understanding of the world and what makes it tick, allowing other innovators to capitalize off of their analyses and produce practical applications.

Alexander Parkes. He invented the first man-made celluloid (plastic) in England in

1856. Richard Arkwright revolutionized the cotton manufacturing business with his invention of the spinning jenny.

George Stephenson, a mechanical engineer, who also goes by the name “father of railways.”

One of the greatest creations still widely used today was Joseph Wilson Swan’s incandescent lightbulb in 1878.

Once started, it spread. Trade expansion was enabled by the introduction of canals, improved roads and railways. The introduction of steam power (fueled primarily by coal) and powered machinery (mainly in textile manufacturing) underpinned the dramatic increases in production capacity".

“The book also shows its readers that as the Victorian era progressed England begin to fall from the forefront of technological advancement, and be passed up by more progressive nations such as Germany and the United States of America

Advances in communication brought about the advent of modern diplomacy and improved countries ability to coordinate resources.

Improved communication sped up everything from war to politics to scientific advancement, the inventions of the telegraph and the telephone quickened the heartbeat of the human race and accelerated our development as a species tenfold.

Transportation improved during the Victorian era, also bringing about faster shipping and moving of goods and people. “The invention of railways was one of the most useful inventions of the industrial revolution and of course, the Victorian era. This scientific development led to the easy and cheap transportation of resources, i.e. material and human as well and raw materials from one place to another.

The evolution of weaponry was too fast for militaries to keep up with. Inventions such as automatic weapons and modern artillery made possible death and destruction on an unseen scale in the Victorian era

Technology and innovation had a huge impact in Victorian society and advanced western civilization into an age of progress.